Featherweight GPS tracker

[Dave A]

1. You can plug the a USB cable into charge the GS with any USB port. The internal charger will limit the current.
2. Set the adjustable charger to turn off all the switches except the 400 one. That will limit the current to 400 mAhrs, which will charge an empty tracker battery in a little over 1 hour.

Thank you, you emailed me back, too.
EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Can't wait to use it.

 

[Dave A]

Adrian
I had another question.
I use a wireless Missileworks WRC2 in large rockets. 7.5" or larger nose cones have room for the WRC2 and your GPS tracker.
The WRC2 transmitter runs 900mhz at 30mW.
Will that disrupt the GPS tracker?

 

[deangelo54]

Does anyone have any photos of how they have mounted/secured the Featherweight tracker to their rocket? Do you have to have an ebay or payload section?

 

[Dave A]

I have a removable plate that fits a ring in the bottom of every 6" or larger nose cone.
I've used this method for multiple timers and plan to do the same for the GPS tracker:
I will mount a piece of PML 38mm through a hole in the bulkplate. I usually mount an Aeropak retainer on the end.
Additive Aerospace 38mm altimeter sleds will mount inside a 38mm coupler tube.
The Featherwieght GPS fits easily on that sled, it is very small. His sled has a pocket on the back to hold the LipPo battery.. I'll make the couple tube short enough for the antennae to stick past the end of the tube. I saved old CTI 38mm reloads and use the nozzle end to make a shoulder to sit in the retainer. Slide in the module and screw on the cap. That way it goes in multiple rockets easily.

 

[Voyager1]

I use a nosecone mount from LabRat Rocketry.

 

[deangelo54]

Gentleman, thank you for your inputs. Seems like the nose cone mount is a popular method.

 

[Voyager1]

Assuming that you have a non-conductive plastic or fiberglass N/C, it's the most practical place to install a GPS and telemetry module. There are typically no (or few) components that will interfere with either the GPS or telemetry antennas reception/radiation patterns.

 

[deangelo54]

I was just looking at the Labrat Rocketry website. They also have a sled for connecting the Featherweight tracker to a shock cord. What do you think of that method?

 

[Voyager1]

I was just looking at the Labrat Rocketry website. They also have a sled for connecting the Featherweight tracker to a shock cord. What do you think of that method?

To be honest, I don't know. The tracker will experience deployment accelerations and shocks wherever it's installed. It will be clear off most interfering components if it's attached somewhere around the midpoint of your cord. I just feel it will be better protected in the N/C, but that's just a personal preference.

 

[tim cubbedge]

I was just looking at the Labrat Rocketry website. They also have a sled for connecting the Featherweight tracker to a shock cord. What do you think of that method?

I glassed a tube and sealed one end and used a piece of removable fiberglass on other end. It’s packed in foam and then taped to shock cord with electrical tape. Dozens of flights and no damage.

 

[deangelo54]

Nose cone mount does sound good. Someone in my club does it that way but he said if he was to do it all over again he would use the shock cord mount.

I like timbucktoo's method. Maybe I can put the shock cord sled inside a BT50 body tube with foam and connect it to the shock cord.

 

[Richard Dierking]

Does anyone have any photos of how they have mounted/secured the Featherweight tracker to their rocket? Do you have to have an ebay or payload section?

Here's my reasoning for putting the GPS/Tracking in the nose. If the tracker is necessary mass it makes sense to put that mass where it would be useful. Putting the tracker with the battery in the nose brings the GC forward. If the nose isn't constructed with CF of course, it's a good place for the tracker antenna.
Here are a couple photos showing my standard arrangement. The good thing about having a tracker that attaches to a shock cord is that it would be easy to move to other rockets. But, I typically use two different sizes of aluminum u-bolts. And I use coupling nuts on the u-bolts with all-thread (aluminum, titanium, and nylon). So, the sled with the GPS can be moved to different rockets.
I do just about all the prep at home including packing the parachutes and installing the nose coupler on the forward parachute section. I connect the battery and turn on the GPS (and CommSpec when I'm using as a back up) and install the nose with bolts or screws just before installing the motor and taking to the pad. Also, I can check the signal on the trackers before installing the nose.

 

[deangelo54]

It's hard to disagree with your logic for placing the tracker in the NC.
Thank you for taking the time to take all those photos. You did a great job. It all looks very professionally done.

 

[Rocket dreamer]

The systems have been out of stock for about a week, but the new units did arrive today, so I just opened up ordering again.

When will you be back in stock? Currently showing out of stock.

 

[firemanup]

Like it so much i bought my first ever iPhone, Apple should be sending featherweight a commission as ive only ever used android phones until now.

Ive mounted it both in the nosecone and the av bay midship with no problems in either location.

 

[kjs]

When will you be back in stock? Currently showing out of stock.

I programmed/tested and shipped some to Adrian today so he should have them before the weekend (so I expect his web site will reflect it maybe on Friday - else over the weekend.

 

[Rocket dreamer]

I programmed/tested and shipped some to Adrian today so he should have them before the weekend (so I expect his web site will reflect it maybe on Friday - else over the weekend.

Awesome. Thank you for the update.

 

[OwenBosvelt]

Does anyone know if this product is legal in the EU? Here only the LoRa of 863 - 870 MHz is legal. Everything outside this range will be confiscated if used... Eggtimer can be used on 869 and is legal. But I prefer a Featherweigt above eggtimer.

 

[deangelo54]

Do you have to have cell coverage for the Featherweight tracker to work? I was planning on launching at Pine Island, NY. It is a remote area and may not have cell coverage.

 

[TBob]

Do you have to have cell coverage for the Featherweight tracker to work? I was planning on launching at Pine Island, NY. It is a remote area and may not have cell coverage.

No cellular coverage needed.

 

[deangelo54]

There is someone in my NAR section that LOVES the Featherweight. It will be my choice of a tracker when I get one.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[TBob]

There is someone in my NAR section that LOVES the Featherweight. It will be my choice of a tracker when I get one.
Thanks for the reply.

Good choice.
I love mine. The only drawback for me was the need to have an iphone. I found a cheap iphone7 for sale and never looked back. Well worth that little extra cost.

 

[Homer_S]

Sorry if this was brought up before, will this Android software, GPS Rocket Locator, pair with the Featherweight GPS? Maybe if someone with a Featherweight GPS and an Android device could give it a try and post their findings.

Homer

 

[Buckeye]

Sorry if this was brought up before, will this Android software, GPS Rocket Locator, pair with the Featherweight GPS? Maybe if someone with a Featherweight GPS and an Android device could give it a try and post their findings.

Homer

No. Featherweight has its own proprietary format and software compatible with iOS only.

 

[ChristineZ]

On a side note if you have an M1 mac it works on your laptop too! already tested and works just fine

No real practical use in the field, but for testing, can be helpful

 

[kjs]

On a side note if you have an M1 mac it works on your laptop too! already tested and works just fine

No real practical use in the field, but for testing, can be helpful

I actually didn't realize this until earlier today when there was some indication that it could work. But when I went to try to install TestFlight, it said I needed Mac OS Version 12 or higher. I'm on 11.6 now and currently working from a camper with a cellular modem... Will need to wait until I'm home this weekend before I try the 12GB download / update...!

But probably not much works (like the arrow and elevation bubble) unless the M1 have accelerometers and magnetometers in them...

 

[ChristineZ]

I actually didn't realize this until earlier today when there was some indication that it could work. But when I went to try to install TestFlight, it said I needed Mac OS Version 12 or higher. I'm on 11.6 now and currently working from a camper with a cellular modem... Will need to wait until I'm home this weekend before I try the 12GB download / update...!

But probably not much works (like the arrow and elevation bubble) unless the M1 have accelerometers and magnetometers in them...

hmmmm...It should work with Big Sur...OS 11.x I believe is the minimum for the M1 Macs, and as far as I know, all M1 macs can run IOS applications? I'm pretty sure I've had test flight installed since the beginning as I was using other beta software that required it, but I wouldn't bet any real money on it :-/ I hadn't tried the iFIP app until just yesterday. It shows up automagically in TestFlight. To be honest I tried it on a whim, and it instantly recognized the Ground Station and Tracker. While everything did seem to work, including voice, the bubble level didn't and even though the arrow was bouncing around, there is no reason why it should work, unless the mac is pulling orientation info off my iphone somehow.

But do yourself a favor and up to Monterey OS 12 (I have been running for the last week+ on both an M1 MBPro and an Intel Macbook air and have noted improvements on several applications.)
All my mission critical applications are running just fine on Monterey (AutoCAD 2019, 2022; PixInsight, AstroPixelProcessor, PHD2, ASI Studio, Gimp, GraphicConverter, Photoshop, TheSky X, SkySafari Pro, CdC, AstroPlanner, OpenRocket, Parallels Client, Oracle Virtual Box, ASTAP, MS Office; Chrome) Indeed I haven't run into any that don't work.

 

[kjs]

hmmmm...It should work with Big Sur...OS 11.x I believe is the minimum for the M1 Macs, and as far as I know, all M1 macs can run IOS applications?

TestFlight is an app that requires a minimum OS version occasionally and if you had it installed before that, it will keep working - but if not, you can't install it. I have an older iphone 4 that testflight/iFIP work on but if a new user buys an iPhone 4 now, it won't let them install TestFlight because they aren't "grand fathered" in. I actually have a phone now from ebay that won't work - until I get it released to the store proper - because TestFlight won't install with a new apple ID I made up...

 

[Hyak]

Today I launched a IQSY 2.36" Tomahawk, on an H242 out in the Eastern Oregon high desert (All Sagebrush)

It landed ~7,000'+ feet away over undualting hills, and on the low side of a rise, quite literally buried in sagebrush. (Tip: Don't use Grey/Bue chutes like I did! )

No one saw it come down due to distance away and no one would have ever found this thing as where to even start looking.

I had a Featherweight GPS tracker in the nose.

Drove to the CPA, and walked another ~1,800' cross country up sandy, sagebrush hills .

Went right to it. No searching, no mis-steps, This thing was dead on. (although the phone was annoying, as it kept trying to sleep).
Didn't matter how the tracker unit was held either. In the car, held high, in my pocket... It never hiccuped. And it was definatly NOT LOS to the rocket from the launch point

I can not say enough about how well this thing worked.

And I can say with confidence that I will NEVER fly a rocket again without one of these aboard!

 

[Richard Dierking]

(although the phone was annoying, as it kept trying to sleep).

Yes, this happened to me in the past when using my iPhone or iPad. Through Display & Brightness you can turn auto lock off when you are using for FW tracking.